NOTIFICATION: The Technology Channels will soon be discontinued.
Click here to download complimentary copies of Fastmarkets RISI’s pulp and paper newsletters.

 

Heidelberg

    WIESLOCH, Germany , Feb. 18, 2021 (Press Release) -
  • Papierwerk Landshut Mittler has been producing high-quality folding cartons for decades
  • New 2020 generation Speedmaster XL 75 from Heidelberg and new MK Diana Smart 115 ensure top quality with increased productivity
  • Reduced washup time thanks to Wash Assistant with artificial intelligence

Papierwerk Landshut Mittler (plm), whose high-quality packagings are found the world over, can be summed up in three words: quality, reliability, and passion. Targeting further growth, the company was the first folding carton printer last year to invest in a Speedmaster XL 75-7+L from the new 2020 generation. A new Diana Smart 115 folder gluer from the partner MK Masterwork completed the investment in the latest packaging solutions from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg). Using state-of-the-art and innovative technologies makes it possible to combine top quality and high productivity.

“To enable us to produce the best folding cartons for our customers, we’re constantly on the lookout for the most innovative equipment,” explains Günther Berninghaus, the third generation of the family to manage plm. “Our slogan “Beyond the box” says so too, and we’re proud that we’re still independent.” The trained letterpress printer and printing engineer has worked in the company for 40 years, and says he has “always invested in the right machines.” plm has been in existence since 1914, with medium-sized pharmaceutical companies and contract manufacturers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland accounting for 80 percent of its production. The remaining 20 percent is split between folding cartons for cosmetics and general consumer goods. plm also works with an internationally renowned pharmaceutical manufacturer to develop and produce complex color guides to guarantee globally harmonized production.

Since 1996, the company has been based in Wörth an der Isar – where it has enough space for both a structured production process and further growth. “We have always focused on one site, where we maintain a high level of productivity. What’s more, we invest heavily in our own training and are proud of our rate of ten percent,” says Günther Berninghaus in explaining his recipe for success. And there is one other special thing about plm: almost half of the 134 employees are women.

Partnership with Heidelberg as a win-win situation

The partnership between Heidelberg and plm goes back decades, and has benefited both sides. For example, plm was one of the first concept customers in 1992. As a field test customer, plm has been involved in several major projects with Heidelberg – whether the expansion of the substrate range and the first coating unit in the Speedmaster SM 52 or the Prinect Inpress Control inline color and quality measurement system on the Speedmaster CD 74. Other field tests were conducted on the Prinect Press Center XL 3 and its LED daylight lamp, which Günther Berninghaus says makes it easier to approve sheets by simply switching from D50 (5000K daylight) to D65 (6500K daylight). plm has focused on the medium-size format 50 x 70 for many years. In the press room you will now find a Speedmaster XL 75-6+L from 2008 as well as a Speedmaster XL 75-5+L that was added three years ago and most recently the Speedmaster XL 75-7+L from the 2020 generation one year ago. All three presses run at a speed of 18,000 sheets per hour and have a sheet format of 605 x 750 mm (23.82 x 29.53 in.), which is perfect for packaging companies.

Prior to its most recent investment, plm had scoured the printing press market and was also considering a change to the next bigger format. It soon turned out, however, that another Speedmaster XL 75 was the best solution. What clinched it were the innovative solutions in the new 2020 generation – the clear operating concept with the new Heidelberg User Experience (UX), the good accessibility, and the high print quality thanks to the perfectly optimized inking unit for this press series. The large diameters of the cylinders ensure that the cardboard is transported smoothly through the press.

“We consider ourselves in a good position with the three almost identical presses from Heidelberg. The printers can work on all the presses, we operate a standardized printing process, and can offer our customers fast production with zero defects,” says Günther Berninghaus in summary. “The medium-size format is the perfect fit for us as well at the moment. This is confirmed by our profitability calculations. We have faster setup times, greater color stability, and uniformity of colors over the entire sheet, which helps us with the many gang runs we have.”

All of the presses have a service agreement in place and the Heidelberg technicians are held in high regard at plm. The washing fluids and aids are from the Saphira range.

Production operates on a three-shift schedule on all but the oldest Speedmaster XL 75, in some cases also at weekends. An active sales force and the additional demand from the pharmaceutical industry as a result of the coronavirus pandemic resulted in growth of twelve percent last year. Turnover in 2020 was 20 million euros. Further growth came from the increasing substitution of plastic packagings and from monoblock cartons.

Modern workstation and increased productivity

Print shop manager Günter Zöttl keeps an eye on the productivity gains offered by the three presses. The new Speedmaster XL 75 is 30 percent more efficient than the 2008 press. The new press is also five percent more efficient that the 2018 one. All in all, what sets the new 2020 generation press apart is its reliability, stability, quality, and good accessibility. “When I ask my printers what their favorite press to work on is, it’s always the new Speedmaster,” confirms Günter Zöttl. “They're big fans of the new operator guidance system, and the new 24-inch touchscreen makes their work more direct and straightforward.” The company is also taking advantage of the navigated printing: Intellistart 3 compares two jobs and suggests the best production approach to the printer. Intelliline, the system of optical guidance by means of LED strips on the printing units, provides outstanding navigation and support for the assistance system.

Spot colors account for 80 percent of the inks used at plm and the colorfulness of the jobs is on the increase, which means frequent colors changes. This is now much easier with the new Wash Assistant and its artificial intelligence. The Wash Assistant selects the right washup program for the inking unit and dampening system, blanket, and impression cylinder based on corresponding job and press parameters. When washing ink rollers, it can, for example, identify when switching from a dark color to a light one, and initiates the optimal washup program. If necessary it can even automatically initiate deep cleaning. Apart from saving time, this also saves washing fluid and washup cloths. Any inking units not needed are continuously supplied with roller protection liquid by the new “Auto Protect” function. Once ink is added again, the roller protection is removed fully automatically in the Intellistart 3 workflow without any input from the operator.

The average run length is just under 8,000 sheets. The main material processed is primary fiber cardboard with grammages from 220 to 500 g/m².

Production also runs on a three-shift schedule in postpress, with four die cutters and four folder gluers from the Diana series. The latest – a Diana Smart 115 – is a replacement investment and is expanding the product portfolio by adding new gluing options for the folding cartons. The new Diana also made it possible to further increase the quality and productivity.

Team spirit and good collaboration

Looking forward, plm wants to improve and expand the integration between the data provided by the Heidelberg presses and the packaging workflow. These are then also projects for the next generation. Günther Berninghaus’ son Daniel has a degree in business administration and has been working in the company as Operational Excellence Manager for three years. “We’re a company with a strong team spirit, open exchange, and great collaboration – fast, flexible, and agile,” he sums up. These attributes are fundamental in achieving the objectives set – to continue as an independent medium-sized company with a profitable business that offers the customers the best-possible quality.

Papierwerk Landshut Mittler adds a new Heidelberg 2020 generation Speedmaster XL 75 to its operations

Posted in: Packaging Technology 02/22/2021 - 06:05
    WIESLOCH, Germany , Feb. 18, 2021 (Press Release) -
  • Papierwerk Landshut Mittler has been producing high-quality folding cartons for decades
  • New 2020 generation Speedmaster XL 75 from Heidelberg and new MK Diana Smart 115 ensure top quality with increased productivity
  • Reduced washup time thanks to Wash Assistant with artificial intelligence

Papierwerk Landshut Mittler (plm), whose high-quality packagings are found the world over, can be summed up in three words: quality, reliability, and passion. Targeting further growth, the company was the first folding carton printer last year to invest in a Speedmaster XL 75-7+L from the new 2020 generation. A new Diana Smart 115 folder gluer from the partner MK Masterwork completed the investment in the latest packaging solutions from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg). Using state-of-the-art and innovative technologies makes it possible to combine top quality and high productivity.

“To enable us to produce the best folding cartons for our customers, we’re constantly on the lookout for the most innovative equipment,” explains Günther Berninghaus, the third generation of the family to manage plm. “Our slogan “Beyond the box” says so too, and we’re proud that we’re still independent.” The trained letterpress printer and printing engineer has worked in the company for 40 years, and says he has “always invested in the right machines.” plm has been in existence since 1914, with medium-sized pharmaceutical companies and contract manufacturers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland accounting for 80 percent of its production. The remaining 20 percent is split between folding cartons for cosmetics and general consumer goods. plm also works with an internationally renowned pharmaceutical manufacturer to develop and produce complex color guides to guarantee globally harmonized production.

Since 1996, the company has been based in Wörth an der Isar – where it has enough space for both a structured production process and further growth. “We have always focused on one site, where we maintain a high level of productivity. What’s more, we invest heavily in our own training and are proud of our rate of ten percent,” says Günther Berninghaus in explaining his recipe for success. And there is one other special thing about plm: almost half of the 134 employees are women.

Partnership with Heidelberg as a win-win situation

The partnership between Heidelberg and plm goes back decades, and has benefited both sides. For example, plm was one of the first concept customers in 1992. As a field test customer, plm has been involved in several major projects with Heidelberg – whether the expansion of the substrate range and the first coating unit in the Speedmaster SM 52 or the Prinect Inpress Control inline color and quality measurement system on the Speedmaster CD 74. Other field tests were conducted on the Prinect Press Center XL 3 and its LED daylight lamp, which Günther Berninghaus says makes it easier to approve sheets by simply switching from D50 (5000K daylight) to D65 (6500K daylight). plm has focused on the medium-size format 50 x 70 for many years. In the press room you will now find a Speedmaster XL 75-6+L from 2008 as well as a Speedmaster XL 75-5+L that was added three years ago and most recently the Speedmaster XL 75-7+L from the 2020 generation one year ago. All three presses run at a speed of 18,000 sheets per hour and have a sheet format of 605 x 750 mm (23.82 x 29.53 in.), which is perfect for packaging companies.

Prior to its most recent investment, plm had scoured the printing press market and was also considering a change to the next bigger format. It soon turned out, however, that another Speedmaster XL 75 was the best solution. What clinched it were the innovative solutions in the new 2020 generation – the clear operating concept with the new Heidelberg User Experience (UX), the good accessibility, and the high print quality thanks to the perfectly optimized inking unit for this press series. The large diameters of the cylinders ensure that the cardboard is transported smoothly through the press.

“We consider ourselves in a good position with the three almost identical presses from Heidelberg. The printers can work on all the presses, we operate a standardized printing process, and can offer our customers fast production with zero defects,” says Günther Berninghaus in summary. “The medium-size format is the perfect fit for us as well at the moment. This is confirmed by our profitability calculations. We have faster setup times, greater color stability, and uniformity of colors over the entire sheet, which helps us with the many gang runs we have.”

All of the presses have a service agreement in place and the Heidelberg technicians are held in high regard at plm. The washing fluids and aids are from the Saphira range.

Production operates on a three-shift schedule on all but the oldest Speedmaster XL 75, in some cases also at weekends. An active sales force and the additional demand from the pharmaceutical industry as a result of the coronavirus pandemic resulted in growth of twelve percent last year. Turnover in 2020 was 20 million euros. Further growth came from the increasing substitution of plastic packagings and from monoblock cartons.

Modern workstation and increased productivity

Print shop manager Günter Zöttl keeps an eye on the productivity gains offered by the three presses. The new Speedmaster XL 75 is 30 percent more efficient than the 2008 press. The new press is also five percent more efficient that the 2018 one. All in all, what sets the new 2020 generation press apart is its reliability, stability, quality, and good accessibility. “When I ask my printers what their favorite press to work on is, it’s always the new Speedmaster,” confirms Günter Zöttl. “They're big fans of the new operator guidance system, and the new 24-inch touchscreen makes their work more direct and straightforward.” The company is also taking advantage of the navigated printing: Intellistart 3 compares two jobs and suggests the best production approach to the printer. Intelliline, the system of optical guidance by means of LED strips on the printing units, provides outstanding navigation and support for the assistance system.

Spot colors account for 80 percent of the inks used at plm and the colorfulness of the jobs is on the increase, which means frequent colors changes. This is now much easier with the new Wash Assistant and its artificial intelligence. The Wash Assistant selects the right washup program for the inking unit and dampening system, blanket, and impression cylinder based on corresponding job and press parameters. When washing ink rollers, it can, for example, identify when switching from a dark color to a light one, and initiates the optimal washup program. If necessary it can even automatically initiate deep cleaning. Apart from saving time, this also saves washing fluid and washup cloths. Any inking units not needed are continuously supplied with roller protection liquid by the new “Auto Protect” function. Once ink is added again, the roller protection is removed fully automatically in the Intellistart 3 workflow without any input from the operator.

The average run length is just under 8,000 sheets. The main material processed is primary fiber cardboard with grammages from 220 to 500 g/m².

Production also runs on a three-shift schedule in postpress, with four die cutters and four folder gluers from the Diana series. The latest – a Diana Smart 115 – is a replacement investment and is expanding the product portfolio by adding new gluing options for the folding cartons. The new Diana also made it possible to further increase the quality and productivity.

Team spirit and good collaboration

Looking forward, plm wants to improve and expand the integration between the data provided by the Heidelberg presses and the packaging workflow. These are then also projects for the next generation. Günther Berninghaus’ son Daniel has a degree in business administration and has been working in the company as Operational Excellence Manager for three years. “We’re a company with a strong team spirit, open exchange, and great collaboration – fast, flexible, and agile,” he sums up. These attributes are fundamental in achieving the objectives set – to continue as an independent medium-sized company with a profitable business that offers the customers the best-possible quality.

Read more
    HEIDELBERG, Germany , Dec. 11, 2020 (Press Release) -
  • Strengthening liquidity for future investments / in Covid-19 times
  • Heidelberg will continue to offer printing chemicals as part of its consumables strategy

As part of its planned focus on core activities and portfolio adjustments, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) has sold its Belgian production site for printing chemicals to DC Druck Chemie GmbH (Druck Chemie), a subsidiary of Langley Hold-ings PLC, UK. Langley Holdings is an international engineering group that produces capital goods to a wide range of industries worldwide, including the printing industry. The sale includes the companies BluePrint Products NV and Hi-Tech Chemicals BV, located in Kruibeke, Belgium. The site develops and manufactures high-quality printing chemicals in flexographic and offset printing, primarily for the packaging and commercial markets, which will continue to be offered by Heidelberg as part of its overall consumables strategy. With the sale, the site and a total of around 40 employees will be transferred to Druck Chemie. Heidelberg generates a purchase price of approx. 20.5 million Euro. The sale is effective today.

"With the withdrawal from the production of printing chemicals, we are making good progress with our realignment and concentration on our core activities," said Rainer Hundsdörfer, CEO of Heidelberg. "We will use the funds freed up by this to safeguard our liquidity in times of the Covid-19 pandemic and to push ahead with strategic investments in the future on the path of our digital transformation.”

“I am delighted to welcome BluePrint Products and Hi-Tech Chemicals to the Druck Chemie family. This acquisition is an excellent fit and will further strengthen our offering to the print industry”, said William Langley, board director, Langley Holdings PLC.

Heidelberg sells its Belgian production site for printing chemicals to DC Druck Chemie

Posted in: Chemicals 12/14/2020 - 11:37
    HEIDELBERG, Germany , Dec. 11, 2020 (Press Release) -
  • Strengthening liquidity for future investments / in Covid-19 times
  • Heidelberg will continue to offer printing chemicals as part of its consumables strategy

As part of its planned focus on core activities and portfolio adjustments, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) has sold its Belgian production site for printing chemicals to DC Druck Chemie GmbH (Druck Chemie), a subsidiary of Langley Hold-ings PLC, UK. Langley Holdings is an international engineering group that produces capital goods to a wide range of industries worldwide, including the printing industry. The sale includes the companies BluePrint Products NV and Hi-Tech Chemicals BV, located in Kruibeke, Belgium. The site develops and manufactures high-quality printing chemicals in flexographic and offset printing, primarily for the packaging and commercial markets, which will continue to be offered by Heidelberg as part of its overall consumables strategy. With the sale, the site and a total of around 40 employees will be transferred to Druck Chemie. Heidelberg generates a purchase price of approx. 20.5 million Euro. The sale is effective today.

"With the withdrawal from the production of printing chemicals, we are making good progress with our realignment and concentration on our core activities," said Rainer Hundsdörfer, CEO of Heidelberg. "We will use the funds freed up by this to safeguard our liquidity in times of the Covid-19 pandemic and to push ahead with strategic investments in the future on the path of our digital transformation.”

“I am delighted to welcome BluePrint Products and Hi-Tech Chemicals to the Druck Chemie family. This acquisition is an excellent fit and will further strengthen our offering to the print industry”, said William Langley, board director, Langley Holdings PLC.

Read more

KENNESAW, GA, Nov. 19, 2020 (Press Release) -In 2014, James Litho, a small commercial printing company in Ontario, California, became one of the earliest adopters of Heidelberg’s digital print platforms when it decided to invest in a Linoprint C901. After six successful years and running upwards of 300,000-400,000 digital sheets per month, James Litho has recently installed its third digital press from Heidelberg, a Versafire EP, replacing its older C901 and complementing its current Versafire CP.

Integration: The Key to Success

James Litho services a diverse portfolio of customers in the Southern California market -- from retail/supermarkets, to local manufacturers, municipalities, and universities. While having a broad customer base has helped James Litho’s business stay steady during the COVID-19 downturn, it also means having a dynamic range of customer demands. The Versafire EP, capable of printing materials from 35 lb. text to 24 pt. board and duplexing on sheets up to 13” x 27.5”, provides the flexibility James Litho needs to address each of its customers’ individual needs. According to President Jeff James, “We have not come across any job that the Versafire is not able to run.”

While the diverse substrate range and high speeds of up to 135 letter pages per minute were important in James’s decision to purchase a Versafire EP, James cites two main factors for why he continues to invest in Heidelberg digital presses: cost effective operation and workflow integration with the company’s current Speedmaster SM 74 offset press.

James Litho, a long time Prinect user, recently upgraded its workflow to the subscription based Prinect Production Manager, which gives the company access to the full Prinect suite of products while also ensuring the software is always up-to-date with the latest releases. Integrated fully with Prinect workflow, both the Versafire EP and Versafire CP are controlled via the Prinect Digital Front End (DFE). Utilizing Heidelberg’s color management and renderers (both tried and tested in offset printing), the Prinect DFE enables print production to be automated and standardized for excellent efficiency.

“From imposition to color management, it’s great having the Prinect integration between our offset and digital platforms. It’s so efficient, in fact, that we don’t have any dedicated digital press operators. Because of the common workflow platform, our prepress technicians prepare our digital jobs from their prepress workstations and send the jobs to print. With our high capacity delivery, they just press a button and let the Versafires run,” said James.

Automating for the Future

A loyal Heidelberg customer – James Litho runs Stahlfolders and POLAR cutters in addition to the Versafires, Speedmaster, and Prinect workflow and also recently signed for Prinect Business Manager MIS. While James Litho has looked to Heidelberg as a partner for the past 20+ years, it’s Heidelberg’s plans for the future that keeps James Litho continuing to invest in Heidelberg solutions.

“I think it’s an industry-wide issue that we are going to lose many technically skilled operators in printing in the very near future. Heidelberg has been thinking about this for years and is really the only company that’s developed all of their products with user-friendliness and automation in mind. From press, to postpress, to prepress – everything from estimating to job tickets – it’s just a complete system,” said James.

As James Litho looks to expand its business into 40” offset in the near future, its goal is to have complete automation throughout every part of its shop. “We know that with Heidelberg’s technology, having automated systems is what’s going to keep us successful and viable moving forward,” said James.

About James Litho

Jeff James started James Litho in 1997 after decades of experience with his family’s print shop. Offering lithography, digital wide format, short run digital, trade show graphics, fulfillment & mailing, and layout & production services, James Litho’s 30,000 sq. ft. facility in Southern California houses about 25 hand-picked associates who have an average of 15 years of experience each. Quality, integrity and personal attention are the trademarks of the company – priding itself on being 100% reliable, 100% of the time. During challenging business times, James Litho is quick in adjusting toward new objectives, offering new solutions and relevant products, and speeding up turn-around time when the urgency is high.

Heidelberg-supplied Versafire EP increases productivity and efficiency at James Litho's facility in Ontario, CA

Posted in: Mills 11/20/2020 - 09:08

KENNESAW, GA, Nov. 19, 2020 (Press Release) -In 2014, James Litho, a small commercial printing company in Ontario, California, became one of the earliest adopters of Heidelberg’s digital print platforms when it decided to invest in a Linoprint C901. After six successful years and running upwards of 300,000-400,000 digital sheets per month, James Litho has recently installed its third digital press from Heidelberg, a Versafire EP, replacing its older C901 and complementing its current Versafire CP.

Integration: The Key to Success

James Litho services a diverse portfolio of customers in the Southern California market -- from retail/supermarkets, to local manufacturers, municipalities, and universities. While having a broad customer base has helped James Litho’s business stay steady during the COVID-19 downturn, it also means having a dynamic range of customer demands. The Versafire EP, capable of printing materials from 35 lb. text to 24 pt. board and duplexing on sheets up to 13” x 27.5”, provides the flexibility James Litho needs to address each of its customers’ individual needs. According to President Jeff James, “We have not come across any job that the Versafire is not able to run.”

While the diverse substrate range and high speeds of up to 135 letter pages per minute were important in James’s decision to purchase a Versafire EP, James cites two main factors for why he continues to invest in Heidelberg digital presses: cost effective operation and workflow integration with the company’s current Speedmaster SM 74 offset press.

James Litho, a long time Prinect user, recently upgraded its workflow to the subscription based Prinect Production Manager, which gives the company access to the full Prinect suite of products while also ensuring the software is always up-to-date with the latest releases. Integrated fully with Prinect workflow, both the Versafire EP and Versafire CP are controlled via the Prinect Digital Front End (DFE). Utilizing Heidelberg’s color management and renderers (both tried and tested in offset printing), the Prinect DFE enables print production to be automated and standardized for excellent efficiency.

“From imposition to color management, it’s great having the Prinect integration between our offset and digital platforms. It’s so efficient, in fact, that we don’t have any dedicated digital press operators. Because of the common workflow platform, our prepress technicians prepare our digital jobs from their prepress workstations and send the jobs to print. With our high capacity delivery, they just press a button and let the Versafires run,” said James.

Automating for the Future

A loyal Heidelberg customer – James Litho runs Stahlfolders and POLAR cutters in addition to the Versafires, Speedmaster, and Prinect workflow and also recently signed for Prinect Business Manager MIS. While James Litho has looked to Heidelberg as a partner for the past 20+ years, it’s Heidelberg’s plans for the future that keeps James Litho continuing to invest in Heidelberg solutions.

“I think it’s an industry-wide issue that we are going to lose many technically skilled operators in printing in the very near future. Heidelberg has been thinking about this for years and is really the only company that’s developed all of their products with user-friendliness and automation in mind. From press, to postpress, to prepress – everything from estimating to job tickets – it’s just a complete system,” said James.

As James Litho looks to expand its business into 40” offset in the near future, its goal is to have complete automation throughout every part of its shop. “We know that with Heidelberg’s technology, having automated systems is what’s going to keep us successful and viable moving forward,” said James.

About James Litho

Jeff James started James Litho in 1997 after decades of experience with his family’s print shop. Offering lithography, digital wide format, short run digital, trade show graphics, fulfillment & mailing, and layout & production services, James Litho’s 30,000 sq. ft. facility in Southern California houses about 25 hand-picked associates who have an average of 15 years of experience each. Quality, integrity and personal attention are the trademarks of the company – priding itself on being 100% reliable, 100% of the time. During challenging business times, James Litho is quick in adjusting toward new objectives, offering new solutions and relevant products, and speeding up turn-around time when the urgency is high.

Read more
    WIESLOCH, Germany, Nov. 17, 2020 (Press Release) -
  • M&E Druckhaus uses industry platform to automate paper procurement
  • Sappi accelerates the digitization of business processes
  • Zaikio open to everyone in the industry

Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) is starting the pilot phase of its digital industry platform Zaikio, which it launched this summer, in collaboration with printing company Meinders & Elstermann GmbH & Co. KG (M&E) and leading paper manufacturer Sappi.

Zaikio allows printers to connect with suppliers automatically, by providing a bridge between the IT systems of the printer and its suppliers. M&E and Sappi will be using the platform to optimize their digital procurement process for paper. M&E’s orders will be collected in the management information system (MIS) – in this case Prinect Business Manager – and logged as orders at the live, customized price. Following approval by procurement staff, these orders will be transferred directly into Sappi’s ERP system, which will reciprocate by providing the ordering system with information about availability and delivery options. This process lays the foundation for fully automated orders based on various factors, such as the current paper consumption or stock levels. As a pilot customer, M&E is providing vital feedback for the further development of the Zaikio platform.

Remaining competitive by optimizing processes is a constant focus for M&E. At its Belm site, near Osnabrück in northern Germany, the long-established company with some 150 staff primarily prints commercial products for discerning industry customers. Production is already highly efficient thanks to the latest Heidelberg technology, but M&E’s recent merger with Ortmeier Medien GmbH – an expansion that added another two sites and 200 staff – calls for further automation and process improvements. A large number of the paper orders are placed through IGEPA with the most important supplier, Sappi.

Sappi is a leading global provider of sustainable woodfibre products and solutions, and is the market leader for graphic papers in Europe. It also produces dissolving pulp, Packaging and speciality papers, Casting and release papers, Biomaterials and Bio-energy. Sappi employs 12,500 people worldwide and produces, among other things, approximately five million tons of paper per year, which are sold in more than 150 countries across the world.

For M&E and Sappi alike, the complete automation and digitization of numerous procurement processes is a key tool for boosting productivity and cutting costs.

"It is at the heart of Sappi's strategy to make print media faster, more efficient and even more competitive in order to highlight its relevance and future viability in the media mix. We therefore very much welcome the establishment of a digital industry platform for the print industry. This gives us the opportunity to get closer to our end customers and at the same time to digitize business relationships, especially in the standard segment, enabling us to improve service levels, reduce error rates and at the same time significantly increase efficiency", says Flavio Froehli, Sales Director Commercial Print at Sappi.

Jens Rauschen, Managing Director of M&E, adds: "We are pleased to significantly increase the automation of our procurement processes with the Zaikio and Sappi team. The Zaikio concept has convinced us. By integrating the platform into our process landscape, we expect to reduce the many interfaces in the ordering process and to significantly increase overall productivity in this area."

“Securing M&E and Sappi as pilot users gives Zaikio two industry giants straight after its launch. This sends out an important signal to others in the industry, encouraging them also to get involved, which makes it a key step in establishing the platform,” says Zaikio’s Managing Director Matthias Prinz.

Paper is just the start

Processing paper procurement via Zaikio in the future is just an initial step. The company is looking to use digitization to improve all procurement processes at print shops, especially for consumables such as inks and plates. Zaikio links suppliers to their customers or printing companies without having any active commercial involvement. “We are intermediaries and we want it to stay that way,” underlines Prinz. “A procurement platform is most effective when it operates in the background and integrates seamlessly into existing processes and software landscapes, so we will be incorporating Zaikio into all widely used MIS solutions that share our vision,” he says.

Digitizing procurement processes offers many benefits for users. It eliminates cumbersome ordering processes and the need to inquire about prices by phone, fax, or e-mail. Live prices are called up automatically along with details such as the delivery status or warehouse notification. This saves customer advisors a great deal of time, which means they can pay more attention to the actual needs of their customers.

About Zaikio

Around a year after the takeover of cloud software business Crispy Mountain by Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, the company launched Zaikio – a new open and independent cloud-based collaboration platform for the printing industry – in the summer of 2020. Zaikio unites all industry players on a single platform. The free Zaikio Account enables each and every user to log into all connected software systems with a single login. The aim is straightforward, standardized data exchange between software, hardware, and the partners involved on the basis of end-to-end automated process chains. So far, over 1,000 people have registered on the platform and set up their own personal Zaikio Account.

Heidelberg starts pilot phase of its cloud-based collaboration platform Zaikio for printing industry

Posted in: Mills 11/17/2020 - 06:51
    WIESLOCH, Germany, Nov. 17, 2020 (Press Release) -
  • M&E Druckhaus uses industry platform to automate paper procurement
  • Sappi accelerates the digitization of business processes
  • Zaikio open to everyone in the industry

Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) is starting the pilot phase of its digital industry platform Zaikio, which it launched this summer, in collaboration with printing company Meinders & Elstermann GmbH & Co. KG (M&E) and leading paper manufacturer Sappi.

Zaikio allows printers to connect with suppliers automatically, by providing a bridge between the IT systems of the printer and its suppliers. M&E and Sappi will be using the platform to optimize their digital procurement process for paper. M&E’s orders will be collected in the management information system (MIS) – in this case Prinect Business Manager – and logged as orders at the live, customized price. Following approval by procurement staff, these orders will be transferred directly into Sappi’s ERP system, which will reciprocate by providing the ordering system with information about availability and delivery options. This process lays the foundation for fully automated orders based on various factors, such as the current paper consumption or stock levels. As a pilot customer, M&E is providing vital feedback for the further development of the Zaikio platform.

Remaining competitive by optimizing processes is a constant focus for M&E. At its Belm site, near Osnabrück in northern Germany, the long-established company with some 150 staff primarily prints commercial products for discerning industry customers. Production is already highly efficient thanks to the latest Heidelberg technology, but M&E’s recent merger with Ortmeier Medien GmbH – an expansion that added another two sites and 200 staff – calls for further automation and process improvements. A large number of the paper orders are placed through IGEPA with the most important supplier, Sappi.

Sappi is a leading global provider of sustainable woodfibre products and solutions, and is the market leader for graphic papers in Europe. It also produces dissolving pulp, Packaging and speciality papers, Casting and release papers, Biomaterials and Bio-energy. Sappi employs 12,500 people worldwide and produces, among other things, approximately five million tons of paper per year, which are sold in more than 150 countries across the world.

For M&E and Sappi alike, the complete automation and digitization of numerous procurement processes is a key tool for boosting productivity and cutting costs.

"It is at the heart of Sappi's strategy to make print media faster, more efficient and even more competitive in order to highlight its relevance and future viability in the media mix. We therefore very much welcome the establishment of a digital industry platform for the print industry. This gives us the opportunity to get closer to our end customers and at the same time to digitize business relationships, especially in the standard segment, enabling us to improve service levels, reduce error rates and at the same time significantly increase efficiency", says Flavio Froehli, Sales Director Commercial Print at Sappi.

Jens Rauschen, Managing Director of M&E, adds: "We are pleased to significantly increase the automation of our procurement processes with the Zaikio and Sappi team. The Zaikio concept has convinced us. By integrating the platform into our process landscape, we expect to reduce the many interfaces in the ordering process and to significantly increase overall productivity in this area."

“Securing M&E and Sappi as pilot users gives Zaikio two industry giants straight after its launch. This sends out an important signal to others in the industry, encouraging them also to get involved, which makes it a key step in establishing the platform,” says Zaikio’s Managing Director Matthias Prinz.

Paper is just the start

Processing paper procurement via Zaikio in the future is just an initial step. The company is looking to use digitization to improve all procurement processes at print shops, especially for consumables such as inks and plates. Zaikio links suppliers to their customers or printing companies without having any active commercial involvement. “We are intermediaries and we want it to stay that way,” underlines Prinz. “A procurement platform is most effective when it operates in the background and integrates seamlessly into existing processes and software landscapes, so we will be incorporating Zaikio into all widely used MIS solutions that share our vision,” he says.

Digitizing procurement processes offers many benefits for users. It eliminates cumbersome ordering processes and the need to inquire about prices by phone, fax, or e-mail. Live prices are called up automatically along with details such as the delivery status or warehouse notification. This saves customer advisors a great deal of time, which means they can pay more attention to the actual needs of their customers.

About Zaikio

Around a year after the takeover of cloud software business Crispy Mountain by Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, the company launched Zaikio – a new open and independent cloud-based collaboration platform for the printing industry – in the summer of 2020. Zaikio unites all industry players on a single platform. The free Zaikio Account enables each and every user to log into all connected software systems with a single login. The aim is straightforward, standardized data exchange between software, hardware, and the partners involved on the basis of end-to-end automated process chains. So far, over 1,000 people have registered on the platform and set up their own personal Zaikio Account.

Read more

KENNESAW, GA, Nov. 3, 2020 (Press Release) -Digital Color Concepts (DCC), having recently upgraded its sheetfed technology to the Speedmaster XL 106, began seeing bottlenecks in the finishing area of its production after being unable to keep pace with the high speed of its new press. Located in Mountainside, NJ, DCC purchased an Easymatrix 106 CS and Diana Easy 115 from Heidelberg to increase its overall throughput and alleviate the issues it was facing with its ten-year-old die cutting and folding gluing technology.

No More Nightmares

DCC, whose largest customers are in the pharmaceutical, fashion, and food industries, utilizes the Easymatrix and Diana Easy primarily for finishing its commercial work. Since the onset of COVID-19, however, the company has seen a shift in its business to more packaging jobs. “While we decided last year that we needed to address our weaknesses in finishing, the Easymatrix and Diana have really set us up nicely for the transition of work that we have been seeing, and they will help us continue to grow more into the packaging segment moving forward,” says Jim D’Alessandro, Vice President of Manufacturing.

Installed in August 2020, the Easymatrix 106 CS was added to DCC’s production to complement an older Heidelberg Varimatrix die cutter. Processing boards as thick as 78 pt. and up to 29.4” x 41.7” format, the Easymatrix 106 CS die cutter runs at speeds of up to 7,700 sheets per hour and cuts down on the company’s makeready times thanks to the intuitive touchscreen interface, along with the motorized cutting pressure adjustment and quick-lock technology for dies and stripping tools.

“Even though the Varimatrix is still a very reliable machine, we have really shortened our production time with the Easymatrix, and sheets are feeding more smoothly,” said D’Alessandro. “Jobs that used to give me nightmares in the middle of the night are completed seamlessly, and we have seen a tremendous increase in the capacity of our finishing area.”

DCC is also seeing increases in throughput on the folding gluing side of its finishing department with the new Diana Easy 115. Installed together with the Easymatrix, the Diana Easy produces cartons at speeds up to 1,150 ft/min and is a significant speed upgrade from the company’s older folder gluer. The Diana Easy offers a high degree of operator user friendliness with features like feed belts that can be changed in less than a minute, and Digiset, a software that suggests the position of each carrier after the operator enters the key carton dimensions. “Between the high speeds and level of automation on this machine, the Diana is blowing our other folder gluer out of the water. It does everything our old machine could do but faster and better,” said D’Alessandro.

At 50 ft in length, the Diana Easy is the ideal solution for DCC thanks to the folder gluer’s smaller footprint. According to D’Alessandro, “We are very limited on space, and we wanted to go with a high-speed folder gluer, but we were having trouble fitting it into our space. The Diana fits just nicely with room for our operators. I probably wouldn’t be able to fit anything else and still maintain the speed of this machine.”

“A Different Level of Professionalism”

Servicing the high-end industries of New York City, DCC is a full-service graphics company that offers everything from premium photo retouching to offset and large format printing. While the printing and finishing side of the business was not established until 2002, the company was quick to trust Heidelberg technology to provide the best quality products for its demanding clientele. DCC boasts an impressive production portfolio from Heidelberg, which also includes a Suprasetter CtP, Prinect workflow, a Speedmaster XL 105 and XL 106, POLAR cutters, and Stahlfolders.

DCC continues to turn to Heidelberg because, “When you deal with Heidelberg, there is just a different level of professionalism that you don’t get with other manufacturers in the industry. From sales to technical support, the level of service is unsurpassed,” said D’Alessandro.

About DCC

With locations in and outside of New York City, DCC is a fully integrated graphics company, specializing in color retouching and print, that transforms its clients’ ideas into superb finished products. From compelling and creative photography to pre-media services to expert retouching, DCC services a long list of satisfied fashion and luxury brand clients. The company produces award winning print pieces, and its print capabilities include digital, sheetfed, large format and grand format on state-of-the-art, modern equipment. From start to finish, DCC helps customers realize their creative vision at the highest quality.

Digital Color Concepts (DCC), having recently upgraded its sheetfed technology to the Speedmaster XL 106, began seeing bottlenecks in the finishing area of its production after being unable to keep pace with the high speed of its new press. Located in Mountainside, NJ, DCC purchased an Easymatrix 106 CS and Diana Easy 115 from Heidelberg to increase its overall throughput and alleviate the issues it was facing with its ten-year-old die cutting and folding gluing technology.

No More Nightmares

DCC, whose largest customers are in the pharmaceutical, fashion, and food industries, utilizes the Easymatrix and Diana Easy primarily for finishing its commercial work. Since the onset of COVID-19, however, the company has seen a shift in its business to more packaging jobs. “While we decided last year that we needed to address our weaknesses in finishing, the Easymatrix and Diana have really set us up nicely for the transition of work that we have been seeing, and they will help us continue to grow more into the packaging segment moving forward,” says Jim D’Alessandro, Vice President of Manufacturing.

Installed in August 2020, the Easymatrix 106 CS was added to DCC’s production to complement an older Heidelberg Varimatrix die cutter. Processing boards as thick as 78 pt. and up to 29.4” x 41.7” format, the Easymatrix 106 CS die cutter runs at speeds of up to 7,700 sheets per hour and cuts down on the company’s makeready times thanks to the intuitive touchscreen interface, along with the motorized cutting pressure adjustment and quick-lock technology for dies and stripping tools.

“Even though the Varimatrix is still a very reliable machine, we have really shortened our production time with the Easymatrix, and sheets are feeding more smoothly,” said D’Alessandro. “Jobs that used to give me nightmares in the middle of the night are completed seamlessly, and we have seen a tremendous increase in the capacity of our finishing area.”

DCC is also seeing increases in throughput on the folding gluing side of its finishing department with the new Diana Easy 115. Installed together with the Easymatrix, the Diana Easy produces cartons at speeds up to 1,150 ft/min and is a significant speed upgrade from the company’s older folder gluer. The Diana Easy offers a high degree of operator user friendliness with features like feed belts that can be changed in less than a minute, and Digiset, a software that suggests the position of each carrier after the operator enters the key carton dimensions. “Between the high speeds and level of automation on this machine, the Diana is blowing our other folder gluer out of the water. It does everything our old machine could do but faster and better,” said D’Alessandro.

At 50 ft in length, the Diana Easy is the ideal solution for DCC thanks to the folder gluer’s smaller footprint. According to D’Alessandro, “We are very limited on space, and we wanted to go with a high-speed folder gluer, but we were having trouble fitting it into our space. The Diana fits just nicely with room for our operators. I probably wouldn’t be able to fit anything else and still maintain the speed of this machine.”

“A Different Level of Professionalism”

Servicing the high-end industries of New York City, DCC is a full-service graphics company that offers everything from premium photo retouching to offset and large format printing. While the printing and finishing side of the business was not established until 2002, the company was quick to trust Heidelberg technology to provide the best quality products for its demanding clientele. DCC boasts an impressive production portfolio from Heidelberg, which also includes a Suprasetter CtP, Prinect workflow, a Speedmaster XL 105 and XL 106, POLAR cutters, and Stahlfolders.

DCC continues to turn to Heidelberg because, “When you deal with Heidelberg, there is just a different level of professionalism that you don’t get with other manufacturers in the industry. From sales to technical support, the level of service is unsurpassed,” said D’Alessandro.

About DCC

With locations in and outside of New York City, DCC is a fully integrated graphics company, specializing in color retouching and print, that transforms its clients’ ideas into superb finished products. From compelling and creative photography to pre-media services to expert retouching, DCC services a long list of satisfied fashion and luxury brand clients. The company produces award winning print pieces, and its print capabilities include digital, sheetfed, large format and grand format on state-of-the-art, modern equipment. From start to finish, DCC helps customers realize their creative vision at the highest quality.

Heidelberg supplies new Easymatrix 106 CS and Diana Easy 115 to Digital Color Concepts' facility in Mountainside, NJ

Posted in: Packaging Technology 11/04/2020 - 00:03

KENNESAW, GA, Nov. 3, 2020 (Press Release) -Digital Color Concepts (DCC), having recently upgraded its sheetfed technology to the Speedmaster XL 106, began seeing bottlenecks in the finishing area of its production after being unable to keep pace with the high speed of its new press. Located in Mountainside, NJ, DCC purchased an Easymatrix 106 CS and Diana Easy 115 from Heidelberg to increase its overall throughput and alleviate the issues it was facing with its ten-year-old die cutting and folding gluing technology.

No More Nightmares

DCC, whose largest customers are in the pharmaceutical, fashion, and food industries, utilizes the Easymatrix and Diana Easy primarily for finishing its commercial work. Since the onset of COVID-19, however, the company has seen a shift in its business to more packaging jobs. “While we decided last year that we needed to address our weaknesses in finishing, the Easymatrix and Diana have really set us up nicely for the transition of work that we have been seeing, and they will help us continue to grow more into the packaging segment moving forward,” says Jim D’Alessandro, Vice President of Manufacturing.

Installed in August 2020, the Easymatrix 106 CS was added to DCC’s production to complement an older Heidelberg Varimatrix die cutter. Processing boards as thick as 78 pt. and up to 29.4” x 41.7” format, the Easymatrix 106 CS die cutter runs at speeds of up to 7,700 sheets per hour and cuts down on the company’s makeready times thanks to the intuitive touchscreen interface, along with the motorized cutting pressure adjustment and quick-lock technology for dies and stripping tools.

“Even though the Varimatrix is still a very reliable machine, we have really shortened our production time with the Easymatrix, and sheets are feeding more smoothly,” said D’Alessandro. “Jobs that used to give me nightmares in the middle of the night are completed seamlessly, and we have seen a tremendous increase in the capacity of our finishing area.”

DCC is also seeing increases in throughput on the folding gluing side of its finishing department with the new Diana Easy 115. Installed together with the Easymatrix, the Diana Easy produces cartons at speeds up to 1,150 ft/min and is a significant speed upgrade from the company’s older folder gluer. The Diana Easy offers a high degree of operator user friendliness with features like feed belts that can be changed in less than a minute, and Digiset, a software that suggests the position of each carrier after the operator enters the key carton dimensions. “Between the high speeds and level of automation on this machine, the Diana is blowing our other folder gluer out of the water. It does everything our old machine could do but faster and better,” said D’Alessandro.

At 50 ft in length, the Diana Easy is the ideal solution for DCC thanks to the folder gluer’s smaller footprint. According to D’Alessandro, “We are very limited on space, and we wanted to go with a high-speed folder gluer, but we were having trouble fitting it into our space. The Diana fits just nicely with room for our operators. I probably wouldn’t be able to fit anything else and still maintain the speed of this machine.”

“A Different Level of Professionalism”

Servicing the high-end industries of New York City, DCC is a full-service graphics company that offers everything from premium photo retouching to offset and large format printing. While the printing and finishing side of the business was not established until 2002, the company was quick to trust Heidelberg technology to provide the best quality products for its demanding clientele. DCC boasts an impressive production portfolio from Heidelberg, which also includes a Suprasetter CtP, Prinect workflow, a Speedmaster XL 105 and XL 106, POLAR cutters, and Stahlfolders.

DCC continues to turn to Heidelberg because, “When you deal with Heidelberg, there is just a different level of professionalism that you don’t get with other manufacturers in the industry. From sales to technical support, the level of service is unsurpassed,” said D’Alessandro.

About DCC

With locations in and outside of New York City, DCC is a fully integrated graphics company, specializing in color retouching and print, that transforms its clients’ ideas into superb finished products. From compelling and creative photography to pre-media services to expert retouching, DCC services a long list of satisfied fashion and luxury brand clients. The company produces award winning print pieces, and its print capabilities include digital, sheetfed, large format and grand format on state-of-the-art, modern equipment. From start to finish, DCC helps customers realize their creative vision at the highest quality.

Digital Color Concepts (DCC), having recently upgraded its sheetfed technology to the Speedmaster XL 106, began seeing bottlenecks in the finishing area of its production after being unable to keep pace with the high speed of its new press. Located in Mountainside, NJ, DCC purchased an Easymatrix 106 CS and Diana Easy 115 from Heidelberg to increase its overall throughput and alleviate the issues it was facing with its ten-year-old die cutting and folding gluing technology.

No More Nightmares

DCC, whose largest customers are in the pharmaceutical, fashion, and food industries, utilizes the Easymatrix and Diana Easy primarily for finishing its commercial work. Since the onset of COVID-19, however, the company has seen a shift in its business to more packaging jobs. “While we decided last year that we needed to address our weaknesses in finishing, the Easymatrix and Diana have really set us up nicely for the transition of work that we have been seeing, and they will help us continue to grow more into the packaging segment moving forward,” says Jim D’Alessandro, Vice President of Manufacturing.

Installed in August 2020, the Easymatrix 106 CS was added to DCC’s production to complement an older Heidelberg Varimatrix die cutter. Processing boards as thick as 78 pt. and up to 29.4” x 41.7” format, the Easymatrix 106 CS die cutter runs at speeds of up to 7,700 sheets per hour and cuts down on the company’s makeready times thanks to the intuitive touchscreen interface, along with the motorized cutting pressure adjustment and quick-lock technology for dies and stripping tools.

“Even though the Varimatrix is still a very reliable machine, we have really shortened our production time with the Easymatrix, and sheets are feeding more smoothly,” said D’Alessandro. “Jobs that used to give me nightmares in the middle of the night are completed seamlessly, and we have seen a tremendous increase in the capacity of our finishing area.”

DCC is also seeing increases in throughput on the folding gluing side of its finishing department with the new Diana Easy 115. Installed together with the Easymatrix, the Diana Easy produces cartons at speeds up to 1,150 ft/min and is a significant speed upgrade from the company’s older folder gluer. The Diana Easy offers a high degree of operator user friendliness with features like feed belts that can be changed in less than a minute, and Digiset, a software that suggests the position of each carrier after the operator enters the key carton dimensions. “Between the high speeds and level of automation on this machine, the Diana is blowing our other folder gluer out of the water. It does everything our old machine could do but faster and better,” said D’Alessandro.

At 50 ft in length, the Diana Easy is the ideal solution for DCC thanks to the folder gluer’s smaller footprint. According to D’Alessandro, “We are very limited on space, and we wanted to go with a high-speed folder gluer, but we were having trouble fitting it into our space. The Diana fits just nicely with room for our operators. I probably wouldn’t be able to fit anything else and still maintain the speed of this machine.”

“A Different Level of Professionalism”

Servicing the high-end industries of New York City, DCC is a full-service graphics company that offers everything from premium photo retouching to offset and large format printing. While the printing and finishing side of the business was not established until 2002, the company was quick to trust Heidelberg technology to provide the best quality products for its demanding clientele. DCC boasts an impressive production portfolio from Heidelberg, which also includes a Suprasetter CtP, Prinect workflow, a Speedmaster XL 105 and XL 106, POLAR cutters, and Stahlfolders.

DCC continues to turn to Heidelberg because, “When you deal with Heidelberg, there is just a different level of professionalism that you don’t get with other manufacturers in the industry. From sales to technical support, the level of service is unsurpassed,” said D’Alessandro.

About DCC

With locations in and outside of New York City, DCC is a fully integrated graphics company, specializing in color retouching and print, that transforms its clients’ ideas into superb finished products. From compelling and creative photography to pre-media services to expert retouching, DCC services a long list of satisfied fashion and luxury brand clients. The company produces award winning print pieces, and its print capabilities include digital, sheetfed, large format and grand format on state-of-the-art, modern equipment. From start to finish, DCC helps customers realize their creative vision at the highest quality.

Read more
    WIESLOCH, Germany, Oct. 22, 2020 (Press Release) -
  • Heidelberg strategically expands its overall portfolio for folding carton production together with its partner MK Masterwork
  • Digital integration automates folding carton production and simplifies even complex job changes
  • World premiere: Introducing the new Mastermatrix 106 CSB die cutter for industrial and high-volume converting
  • Fully integrated workflow: Expansion of the Prinect Business Manager Packaging MIS system announced for 2021

The trends in packaging printing are obvious: ever-declining run lengths, an ever increasing number of stock keeping units and more demanding embellishments are used in order to attract attention at the point of sale, and all of this against the backdrop of extremely short delivery times and sustainability. Special applications and the need for flawless production add to the complexity. How can folding carton manufacturers manage this in a cost-effective way? How can they fully exploit the potential of their machines and achieve transparent and repeatable production? Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) presented its innovations at an event in October of this year to answer these questions.

“The growth market of packaging and especially folding carton manufacturing are part of our core business. Our product portfolio is leading the industry, and we are introducing innovations to further enhance it based on our customers’ demands. The optimization of folding carton manufacturing for the benefit of our customers is an integral part of our company strategy,” confirms Jörg Dähnhardt, Head of the Folding Carton Segment at Heidelberg.

Heidelberg offers innovative and customized solutions for converting operations: from job creation all the way to the finished folding carton. The Prinect workflow connects the various machines and processes and allows navigated folding carton production, or, in the ideal case, even autonomous production. The tried and tested consumables from the Saphira family and digital services ensure a stable production environment and the highest possible machine availability.

Innovations for Speedmaster presses – increased productivity with automation and digitization

The new operating concept based around the Heidelberg User Experience UX makes packaging printing easier than ever, across all format classes. An example is the Speedmaster CX 102.

This press boasts innovative solutions from the Peak Performance class, including the new operating concept. The Speedmaster CX 102 from the new 2020 generation combines flexibility with navigated printing. It all starts with efficient production planning via the Prinect Scheduler: production is optimized for multiple print jobs with the same or similar spot colors, materials, or die-cutting tools, and placed in the Job Queue of the Speedmaster CX 102 fully automatically and in the correct order – without manual intervention. With over 50,000 printing units sold, the Speedmaster CD/CX presses are the most successful press series on the market and perfect for packaging printing.

The Wallscreen XL guides the operator through the individual processes. With Intellistart 3, up to 50 upcoming job changes can be prepared on the press while production is underway. Intelliguide navigates the operator through the complete job change and always selects the fastest makeready process. Intelliline visualizes the process phase at the individual printing and coating units and indicates when and where a manual intervention is required. Assistance systems like Color Assistant Pro and Wash Assistant use artificial intelligence for continuous improvement.

Good sheet production starts as quickly as possible thanks to precise ink presetting and an intelligent selection of the most suitable washup programs. This reduces paper waste and costs. Even repeat jobs can be set up quickly and reliably. With Intellirun, the relevant production information is shown at the right time fully automatically on the Wallscreen throughout the production run. Data feedback to the Prinect Production Workflow allows precise reporting for each individual job, including quality documentation.  

Autonomous printing with standardization – Anicolor and Multicolor as a package

The Speedmaster XL 75 Anicolor with Multicolor technology offers an interesting bundle for packaging printers tackling digital production run lengths. With Anicolor technology the good sheet is reached very quickly, thanks to fast inking by the format-size screen roller. The inking unit design ensures an even ink application across the entire sheet and the entire run. By using seven colors – the four process colors plus orange, green, and violet – the Multicolor technology can reproduce a very high number of spot colors. This cuts the time for job changes down since it is no longer necessary to change spot colors. Multicolor also opens the door for autonomous printing with Push to Stop in packaging printing as well. It is also an extremely economical way of producing short runs in packaging printing, for example for special editions.

New standards in industrial packaging printing

For highly industrialized folding carton printers Heidelberg expanded the capabilities end-to-end: Innovations for the Speedmaster XL 106, a new die-cutter and several innovations for the Diana folder gluers were demonstrated.

The Speedmaster XL106 of the 2020 generation redefines peak performance once again: It systematically reduces touch points and relieves the operator of routine tasks, thereby significantly increasing efficiency.

A good example of an intelligent assistance system is the Wash Assistant: It selects the most suitable wash-up program by taking into account the differences in brightness of consecutive inks in the same unit. Especially in folding carton production with its many spot colors, this reduces make-ready times significantly. The Wash Assistant also reduces consumption of wash-up solution; all in all, this can increase the production capacity of a press by up to 125 hours annually.

The new presetable CodeStar at the feeder ensures full traceability throughout the production. It marks each sheet with a unique number, barcode or batch number so it can be identified again at any time during production.

Another innovation is Hycolor Pro, the Speedmaster XL 106’s automated dampening system. The dampening solution is metered between pan roller and metering roller. The pressure/squeeze required for this purpose can now, for the first time, be controlled from the Prinect Press Center. The operator can now quickly confirm the correct settings in all units – that saves time and effort while also enabling targeted corrections during production: The printer can address dampening issues on either side of the sheet. This results in fewer waste sheets at start-up and a more stable production run.

Eye-catching wow effects for point of sale

Complex jobs for special effects often involve elaborate and time-consuming makeready processes that must be planned and carried out meticulously. To illustrate the capabilities of the new User Interface, a demanding job change was shown in less than 5 minutes on a Speedmaster XL 106-8+LYY-1+L (eight printing units, one coating unit, two dryer units, another printing unit, and a second coating unit) with FoilStar. Intellistart 3, Intelliguide, and Intelliline navigate the operator through the various makeready processes for complex jobs. Even less experienced operators are guided through elaborate make ready tasks: complexity is mastered and can be managed. This 13-unit press can produce a wide variety of embellishments, offering economical flexibility coupled with high process reliability and short makeready times. Automation features such as the Hycolor Multidrive intelligent inking unit drive allow the blankets and the inking units to be washed while the plates are being changed. If an inking unit is not required for the next job, the washup program can continue to run while the press resumes printing.

Eye-catching metallic effects can be achieved in one pass with the FoilStar cold foil module. The most economical way of applying cold foil is using indexing and multi-reel capability. Foil consumption can be reduced by up to 80 percent. The cold foil can be partially overprinted to produce a wide range of metallic and color effects. All in all, this is a more sustainable solution than foil-laminated cardboard, which also can have long lead times.

Depending on the desired effect, different inks, varnishes and coatings are required along with a press configuration that provides the flexibility for many applications. The 13-unit Speedmaster XL 106 serves as an example for a press that can produce stunning effects for high impact folding cartons at the point of sale economically in a single pass. Heidelberg installs 40 to 50 of these special presses with customized configurations per year.

Fully integrated workflow with new MIS concept for packaging printing

From summer 2021, Prinect Business Manager Packaging will be launched specifically for packaging printing. Together with the Prinect Production Manager and the tailored packaging add-ons, the result will be a fully integrated packaging workflow. Job data, presetting or repeat job data for the Speedmaster, and for example printing plate handling will be linked in an automated process, thereby reducing makeready and downtimes. The integration of postpress will also be possible.

World premiere: new Mastermatrix 106 CSB die cutter

The event attendees witnessed the world premiere of the new Mastermatrix 106 CSB: the new flagship die-cutter from MK Masterwork and Heidelberg with a production speed of up to 9,000 sheets per hour. The machine is designed for high speed and fast make-ready times. For example, a new quick-lock clamping system for the cutting plate shortens the setup time without affecting tool compatibility with existing plates. The setup time is further minimized by MasterRake: the non-stop swords in the delivery are locked pneumatically and can be disengaged at the push of a button and moved by the operator. This shortens the setup time at the delivery by up to 70 percent.

The Mastermatrix is integrated in the Prinect workflow. Job specific data is received at the die-cutter from Prinect. Data such as the sheet format is transferred and - after confirmation by the operator - the MasterFeeder sets itself automatically to the sheet format without further manual intervention.

During production, the MasterSet optical register system ensures perfect registration between the print image and cutting tool for each sheet individually with the utmost precision. The camdrive of the Mastermatrix ensures a smooth and quiet production.

Two other new die cutters were launched earlier this year to complete the portfolio – the Powermatrix 106 CSB and Promatrix 145 CSB.

For short runs in packaging and commercial printing the Digimatrix line will be added in future: the Digimatrix 80 LR and the Digimatrix 106 LR. These digital die-cutters are integrated in the Prinect workflow and employ laser cutting technology; they are currently scheduled for launch in 2021. Both machines provide the option of an inline rotary creasing station and achieve speeds of up to 3,000 sheets per hour.

Discover optimization potential – reporting and analysis of production data

With the web-based Prinect Portal, the jobs in progress on a connected die-cutter can be tracked on a smart device in real time while production is still underway. After the job is completed, the production data is available for reporting and an analysis of short-term and long-term trends is possible. “Efficient folding carton production is part of our core business – yesterday, today, and tomorrow,” confirms Jörg Dähnhardt. “We show that digitized processes now extend include postpress, and we will continue to develop this further.”

Folder gluers with new functions

Heidelberg offers now four series of the MK Masterwork Diana folder gluers. New features and options were added for each series.

The Diana Smart is now available with a high-speed package, allowing it to run up to 33 percent faster at up to 600 m/min.

The second generation of the Diana Braille unit now offers an option for cross adjustment of the braille tools. The positions of the upper and lower tools are shown on a digital indicator – this shortens each make-ready process by several minutes.

The new Diana Inspector can inspect a wide range of substrates, including difficult materials such as metalized cardboard, holograms, or hot foil applications for printing defects and color consistency. The Diana Inspector features a PDF comparison function, which increases user-friendliness and significantly reduces the setup time, as many settings can already be prepared in Prepress. The Diana Inspector is available for the Diana Smart and Diana Easy series.

A folder gluer can only run as fast as cartons can be packed. The digital integration of the new Diana Packer 4.0 helps during automated packing in outer cartons. For the first time, communication between the folder gluer and the Diana Packer 4.0 ensures that carton geometries only have to be entered once – the second entry on the packer previously required is no longer necessary. This shortens overall setup times. New options include an automated tie-sheet inserter and integration of a carton erector. Once a case is filled with cartons it has to be closed, labeled and palletized – all processes that can now be supplied from Heidelberg and MK Masterwork.

The successful partnership between Heidelberg and MK Masterwork offers a complete portfolio for folding carton production. Heidelberg has already sold more than 500 MK machines since the start of the partnership in 2016. The relationship was further strengthened in 2019, with MK Masterwork becoming a long-term, strategic anchor shareholder in Heidelberg with a shareholding of around 8.5 percent.

“The packaging market will continue to grow in importance for Heidelberg. Folding carton manufacturing requires peak performance of our machines and solutions. Thanks to digital integration, we unlock completely new optimization potential along the entire process chain – for the benefit of our folding carton customers worldwide,” sums up Jörg Dähnhardt.

Heidelberg boosts overall efficiency in packaging printing with digital integration and intelligent automation

Posted in: Mills 10/22/2020 - 12:36
    WIESLOCH, Germany, Oct. 22, 2020 (Press Release) -
  • Heidelberg strategically expands its overall portfolio for folding carton production together with its partner MK Masterwork
  • Digital integration automates folding carton production and simplifies even complex job changes
  • World premiere: Introducing the new Mastermatrix 106 CSB die cutter for industrial and high-volume converting
  • Fully integrated workflow: Expansion of the Prinect Business Manager Packaging MIS system announced for 2021

The trends in packaging printing are obvious: ever-declining run lengths, an ever increasing number of stock keeping units and more demanding embellishments are used in order to attract attention at the point of sale, and all of this against the backdrop of extremely short delivery times and sustainability. Special applications and the need for flawless production add to the complexity. How can folding carton manufacturers manage this in a cost-effective way? How can they fully exploit the potential of their machines and achieve transparent and repeatable production? Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) presented its innovations at an event in October of this year to answer these questions.

“The growth market of packaging and especially folding carton manufacturing are part of our core business. Our product portfolio is leading the industry, and we are introducing innovations to further enhance it based on our customers’ demands. The optimization of folding carton manufacturing for the benefit of our customers is an integral part of our company strategy,” confirms Jörg Dähnhardt, Head of the Folding Carton Segment at Heidelberg.

Heidelberg offers innovative and customized solutions for converting operations: from job creation all the way to the finished folding carton. The Prinect workflow connects the various machines and processes and allows navigated folding carton production, or, in the ideal case, even autonomous production. The tried and tested consumables from the Saphira family and digital services ensure a stable production environment and the highest possible machine availability.

Innovations for Speedmaster presses – increased productivity with automation and digitization

The new operating concept based around the Heidelberg User Experience UX makes packaging printing easier than ever, across all format classes. An example is the Speedmaster CX 102.

This press boasts innovative solutions from the Peak Performance class, including the new operating concept. The Speedmaster CX 102 from the new 2020 generation combines flexibility with navigated printing. It all starts with efficient production planning via the Prinect Scheduler: production is optimized for multiple print jobs with the same or similar spot colors, materials, or die-cutting tools, and placed in the Job Queue of the Speedmaster CX 102 fully automatically and in the correct order – without manual intervention. With over 50,000 printing units sold, the Speedmaster CD/CX presses are the most successful press series on the market and perfect for packaging printing.

The Wallscreen XL guides the operator through the individual processes. With Intellistart 3, up to 50 upcoming job changes can be prepared on the press while production is underway. Intelliguide navigates the operator through the complete job change and always selects the fastest makeready process. Intelliline visualizes the process phase at the individual printing and coating units and indicates when and where a manual intervention is required. Assistance systems like Color Assistant Pro and Wash Assistant use artificial intelligence for continuous improvement.

Good sheet production starts as quickly as possible thanks to precise ink presetting and an intelligent selection of the most suitable washup programs. This reduces paper waste and costs. Even repeat jobs can be set up quickly and reliably. With Intellirun, the relevant production information is shown at the right time fully automatically on the Wallscreen throughout the production run. Data feedback to the Prinect Production Workflow allows precise reporting for each individual job, including quality documentation.  

Autonomous printing with standardization – Anicolor and Multicolor as a package

The Speedmaster XL 75 Anicolor with Multicolor technology offers an interesting bundle for packaging printers tackling digital production run lengths. With Anicolor technology the good sheet is reached very quickly, thanks to fast inking by the format-size screen roller. The inking unit design ensures an even ink application across the entire sheet and the entire run. By using seven colors – the four process colors plus orange, green, and violet – the Multicolor technology can reproduce a very high number of spot colors. This cuts the time for job changes down since it is no longer necessary to change spot colors. Multicolor also opens the door for autonomous printing with Push to Stop in packaging printing as well. It is also an extremely economical way of producing short runs in packaging printing, for example for special editions.

New standards in industrial packaging printing

For highly industrialized folding carton printers Heidelberg expanded the capabilities end-to-end: Innovations for the Speedmaster XL 106, a new die-cutter and several innovations for the Diana folder gluers were demonstrated.

The Speedmaster XL106 of the 2020 generation redefines peak performance once again: It systematically reduces touch points and relieves the operator of routine tasks, thereby significantly increasing efficiency.

A good example of an intelligent assistance system is the Wash Assistant: It selects the most suitable wash-up program by taking into account the differences in brightness of consecutive inks in the same unit. Especially in folding carton production with its many spot colors, this reduces make-ready times significantly. The Wash Assistant also reduces consumption of wash-up solution; all in all, this can increase the production capacity of a press by up to 125 hours annually.

The new presetable CodeStar at the feeder ensures full traceability throughout the production. It marks each sheet with a unique number, barcode or batch number so it can be identified again at any time during production.

Another innovation is Hycolor Pro, the Speedmaster XL 106’s automated dampening system. The dampening solution is metered between pan roller and metering roller. The pressure/squeeze required for this purpose can now, for the first time, be controlled from the Prinect Press Center. The operator can now quickly confirm the correct settings in all units – that saves time and effort while also enabling targeted corrections during production: The printer can address dampening issues on either side of the sheet. This results in fewer waste sheets at start-up and a more stable production run.

Eye-catching wow effects for point of sale

Complex jobs for special effects often involve elaborate and time-consuming makeready processes that must be planned and carried out meticulously. To illustrate the capabilities of the new User Interface, a demanding job change was shown in less than 5 minutes on a Speedmaster XL 106-8+LYY-1+L (eight printing units, one coating unit, two dryer units, another printing unit, and a second coating unit) with FoilStar. Intellistart 3, Intelliguide, and Intelliline navigate the operator through the various makeready processes for complex jobs. Even less experienced operators are guided through elaborate make ready tasks: complexity is mastered and can be managed. This 13-unit press can produce a wide variety of embellishments, offering economical flexibility coupled with high process reliability and short makeready times. Automation features such as the Hycolor Multidrive intelligent inking unit drive allow the blankets and the inking units to be washed while the plates are being changed. If an inking unit is not required for the next job, the washup program can continue to run while the press resumes printing.

Eye-catching metallic effects can be achieved in one pass with the FoilStar cold foil module. The most economical way of applying cold foil is using indexing and multi-reel capability. Foil consumption can be reduced by up to 80 percent. The cold foil can be partially overprinted to produce a wide range of metallic and color effects. All in all, this is a more sustainable solution than foil-laminated cardboard, which also can have long lead times.

Depending on the desired effect, different inks, varnishes and coatings are required along with a press configuration that provides the flexibility for many applications. The 13-unit Speedmaster XL 106 serves as an example for a press that can produce stunning effects for high impact folding cartons at the point of sale economically in a single pass. Heidelberg installs 40 to 50 of these special presses with customized configurations per year.

Fully integrated workflow with new MIS concept for packaging printing

From summer 2021, Prinect Business Manager Packaging will be launched specifically for packaging printing. Together with the Prinect Production Manager and the tailored packaging add-ons, the result will be a fully integrated packaging workflow. Job data, presetting or repeat job data for the Speedmaster, and for example printing plate handling will be linked in an automated process, thereby reducing makeready and downtimes. The integration of postpress will also be possible.

World premiere: new Mastermatrix 106 CSB die cutter

The event attendees witnessed the world premiere of the new Mastermatrix 106 CSB: the new flagship die-cutter from MK Masterwork and Heidelberg with a production speed of up to 9,000 sheets per hour. The machine is designed for high speed and fast make-ready times. For example, a new quick-lock clamping system for the cutting plate shortens the setup time without affecting tool compatibility with existing plates. The setup time is further minimized by MasterRake: the non-stop swords in the delivery are locked pneumatically and can be disengaged at the push of a button and moved by the operator. This shortens the setup time at the delivery by up to 70 percent.

The Mastermatrix is integrated in the Prinect workflow. Job specific data is received at the die-cutter from Prinect. Data such as the sheet format is transferred and - after confirmation by the operator - the MasterFeeder sets itself automatically to the sheet format without further manual intervention.

During production, the MasterSet optical register system ensures perfect registration between the print image and cutting tool for each sheet individually with the utmost precision. The camdrive of the Mastermatrix ensures a smooth and quiet production.

Two other new die cutters were launched earlier this year to complete the portfolio – the Powermatrix 106 CSB and Promatrix 145 CSB.

For short runs in packaging and commercial printing the Digimatrix line will be added in future: the Digimatrix 80 LR and the Digimatrix 106 LR. These digital die-cutters are integrated in the Prinect workflow and employ laser cutting technology; they are currently scheduled for launch in 2021. Both machines provide the option of an inline rotary creasing station and achieve speeds of up to 3,000 sheets per hour.

Discover optimization potential – reporting and analysis of production data

With the web-based Prinect Portal, the jobs in progress on a connected die-cutter can be tracked on a smart device in real time while production is still underway. After the job is completed, the production data is available for reporting and an analysis of short-term and long-term trends is possible. “Efficient folding carton production is part of our core business – yesterday, today, and tomorrow,” confirms Jörg Dähnhardt. “We show that digitized processes now extend include postpress, and we will continue to develop this further.”

Folder gluers with new functions

Heidelberg offers now four series of the MK Masterwork Diana folder gluers. New features and options were added for each series.

The Diana Smart is now available with a high-speed package, allowing it to run up to 33 percent faster at up to 600 m/min.

The second generation of the Diana Braille unit now offers an option for cross adjustment of the braille tools. The positions of the upper and lower tools are shown on a digital indicator – this shortens each make-ready process by several minutes.

The new Diana Inspector can inspect a wide range of substrates, including difficult materials such as metalized cardboard, holograms, or hot foil applications for printing defects and color consistency. The Diana Inspector features a PDF comparison function, which increases user-friendliness and significantly reduces the setup time, as many settings can already be prepared in Prepress. The Diana Inspector is available for the Diana Smart and Diana Easy series.

A folder gluer can only run as fast as cartons can be packed. The digital integration of the new Diana Packer 4.0 helps during automated packing in outer cartons. For the first time, communication between the folder gluer and the Diana Packer 4.0 ensures that carton geometries only have to be entered once – the second entry on the packer previously required is no longer necessary. This shortens overall setup times. New options include an automated tie-sheet inserter and integration of a carton erector. Once a case is filled with cartons it has to be closed, labeled and palletized – all processes that can now be supplied from Heidelberg and MK Masterwork.

The successful partnership between Heidelberg and MK Masterwork offers a complete portfolio for folding carton production. Heidelberg has already sold more than 500 MK machines since the start of the partnership in 2016. The relationship was further strengthened in 2019, with MK Masterwork becoming a long-term, strategic anchor shareholder in Heidelberg with a shareholding of around 8.5 percent.

“The packaging market will continue to grow in importance for Heidelberg. Folding carton manufacturing requires peak performance of our machines and solutions. Thanks to digital integration, we unlock completely new optimization potential along the entire process chain – for the benefit of our folding carton customers worldwide,” sums up Jörg Dähnhardt.

Read more
    WIESLOCH, Germany, Oct. 22, 2020 (Press Release) -
  • Heidelberg strategically expands its overall portfolio for folding carton production together with its partner MK Masterwork
  • Digital integration automates folding carton production and simplifies even complex job changes
  • World premiere: Introducing the new Mastermatrix 106 CSB die cutter for industrial and high-volume converting
  • Fully integrated workflow: Expansion of the Prinect Business Manager Packaging MIS system announced for 2021

The trends in packaging printing are obvious: ever-declining run lengths, an ever increasing number of stock keeping units and more demanding embellishments are used in order to attract attention at the point of sale, and all of this against the backdrop of extremely short delivery times and sustainability. Special applications and the need for flawless production add to the complexity. How can folding carton manufacturers manage this in a cost-effective way? How can they fully exploit the potential of their machines and achieve transparent and repeatable production? Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) presented its innovations at an event in October of this year to answer these questions.

“The growth market of packaging and especially folding carton manufacturing are part of our core business. Our product portfolio is leading the industry, and we are introducing innovations to further enhance it based on our customers’ demands. The optimization of folding carton manufacturing for the benefit of our customers is an integral part of our company strategy,” confirms Jörg Dähnhardt, Head of the Folding Carton Segment at Heidelberg.

Heidelberg offers innovative and customized solutions for converting operations: from job creation all the way to the finished folding carton. The Prinect workflow connects the various machines and processes and allows navigated folding carton production, or, in the ideal case, even autonomous production. The tried and tested consumables from the Saphira family and digital services ensure a stable production environment and the highest possible machine availability.

Innovations for Speedmaster presses – increased productivity with automation and digitization

The new operating concept based around the Heidelberg User Experience UX makes packaging printing easier than ever, across all format classes. An example is the Speedmaster CX 102.

This press boasts innovative solutions from the Peak Performance class, including the new operating concept. The Speedmaster CX 102 from the new 2020 generation combines flexibility with navigated printing. It all starts with efficient production planning via the Prinect Scheduler: production is optimized for multiple print jobs with the same or similar spot colors, materials, or die-cutting tools, and placed in the Job Queue of the Speedmaster CX 102 fully automatically and in the correct order – without manual intervention. With over 50,000 printing units sold, the Speedmaster CD/CX presses are the most successful press series on the market and perfect for packaging printing.

The Wallscreen XL guides the operator through the individual processes. With Intellistart 3, up to 50 upcoming job changes can be prepared on the press while production is underway. Intelliguide navigates the operator through the complete job change and always selects the fastest makeready process. Intelliline visualizes the process phase at the individual printing and coating units and indicates when and where a manual intervention is required. Assistance systems like Color Assistant Pro and Wash Assistant use artificial intelligence for continuous improvement.

Good sheet production starts as quickly as possible thanks to precise ink presetting and an intelligent selection of the most suitable washup programs. This reduces paper waste and costs. Even repeat jobs can be set up quickly and reliably. With Intellirun, the relevant production information is shown at the right time fully automatically on the Wallscreen throughout the production run. Data feedback to the Prinect Production Workflow allows precise reporting for each individual job, including quality documentation.  

Autonomous printing with standardization – Anicolor and Multicolor as a package

The Speedmaster XL 75 Anicolor with Multicolor technology offers an interesting bundle for packaging printers tackling digital production run lengths. With Anicolor technology the good sheet is reached very quickly, thanks to fast inking by the format-size screen roller. The inking unit design ensures an even ink application across the entire sheet and the entire run. By using seven colors – the four process colors plus orange, green, and violet – the Multicolor technology can reproduce a very high number of spot colors. This cuts the time for job changes down since it is no longer necessary to change spot colors. Multicolor also opens the door for autonomous printing with Push to Stop in packaging printing as well. It is also an extremely economical way of producing short runs in packaging printing, for example for special editions.

New standards in industrial packaging printing

For highly industrialized folding carton printers Heidelberg expanded the capabilities end-to-end: Innovations for the Speedmaster XL 106, a new die-cutter and several innovations for the Diana folder gluers were demonstrated.

The Speedmaster XL106 of the 2020 generation redefines peak performance once again: It systematically reduces touch points and relieves the operator of routine tasks, thereby significantly increasing efficiency.

A good example of an intelligent assistance system is the Wash Assistant: It selects the most suitable wash-up program by taking into account the differences in brightness of consecutive inks in the same unit. Especially in folding carton production with its many spot colors, this reduces make-ready times significantly. The Wash Assistant also reduces consumption of wash-up solution; all in all, this can increase the production capacity of a press by up to 125 hours annually.

The new presetable CodeStar at the feeder ensures full traceability throughout the production. It marks each sheet with a unique number, barcode or batch number so it can be identified again at any time during production.

Another innovation is Hycolor Pro, the Speedmaster XL 106’s automated dampening system. The dampening solution is metered between pan roller and metering roller. The pressure/squeeze required for this purpose can now, for the first time, be controlled from the Prinect Press Center. The operator can now quickly confirm the correct settings in all units – that saves time and effort while also enabling targeted corrections during production: The printer can address dampening issues on either side of the sheet. This results in fewer waste sheets at start-up and a more stable production run.

Eye-catching wow effects for point of sale

Complex jobs for special effects often involve elaborate and time-consuming makeready processes that must be planned and carried out meticulously. To illustrate the capabilities of the new User Interface, a demanding job change was shown in less than 5 minutes on a Speedmaster XL 106-8+LYY-1+L (eight printing units, one coating unit, two dryer units, another printing unit, and a second coating unit) with FoilStar. Intellistart 3, Intelliguide, and Intelliline navigate the operator through the various makeready processes for complex jobs. Even less experienced operators are guided through elaborate make ready tasks: complexity is mastered and can be managed. This 13-unit press can produce a wide variety of embellishments, offering economical flexibility coupled with high process reliability and short makeready times. Automation features such as the Hycolor Multidrive intelligent inking unit drive allow the blankets and the inking units to be washed while the plates are being changed. If an inking unit is not required for the next job, the washup program can continue to run while the press resumes printing.

Eye-catching metallic effects can be achieved in one pass with the FoilStar cold foil module. The most economical way of applying cold foil is using indexing and multi-reel capability. Foil consumption can be reduced by up to 80 percent. The cold foil can be partially overprinted to produce a wide range of metallic and color effects. All in all, this is a more sustainable solution than foil-laminated cardboard, which also can have long lead times.

Depending on the desired effect, different inks, varnishes and coatings are required along with a press configuration that provides the flexibility for many applications. The 13-unit Speedmaster XL 106 serves as an example for a press that can produce stunning effects for high impact folding cartons at the point of sale economically in a single pass. Heidelberg installs 40 to 50 of these special presses with customized configurations per year.

Fully integrated workflow with new MIS concept for packaging printing

From summer 2021, Prinect Business Manager Packaging will be launched specifically for packaging printing. Together with the Prinect Production Manager and the tailored packaging add-ons, the result will be a fully integrated packaging workflow. Job data, presetting or repeat job data for the Speedmaster, and for example printing plate handling will be linked in an automated process, thereby reducing makeready and downtimes. The integration of postpress will also be possible.

World premiere: new Mastermatrix 106 CSB die cutter

The event attendees witnessed the world premiere of the new Mastermatrix 106 CSB: the new flagship die-cutter from MK Masterwork and Heidelberg with a production speed of up to 9,000 sheets per hour. The machine is designed for high speed and fast make-ready times. For example, a new quick-lock clamping system for the cutting plate shortens the setup time without affecting tool compatibility with existing plates. The setup time is further minimized by MasterRake: the non-stop swords in the delivery are locked pneumatically and can be disengaged at the push of a button and moved by the operator. This shortens the setup time at the delivery by up to 70 percent.

The Mastermatrix is integrated in the Prinect workflow. Job specific data is received at the die-cutter from Prinect. Data such as the sheet format is transferred and - after confirmation by the operator - the MasterFeeder sets itself automatically to the sheet format without further manual intervention.

During production, the MasterSet optical register system ensures perfect registration between the print image and cutting tool for each sheet individually with the utmost precision. The camdrive of the Mastermatrix ensures a smooth and quiet production.

Two other new die cutters were launched earlier this year to complete the portfolio – the Powermatrix 106 CSB and Promatrix 145 CSB.

For short runs in packaging and commercial printing the Digimatrix line will be added in future: the Digimatrix 80 LR and the Digimatrix 106 LR. These digital die-cutters are integrated in the Prinect workflow and employ laser cutting technology; they are currently scheduled for launch in 2021. Both machines provide the option of an inline rotary creasing station and achieve speeds of up to 3,000 sheets per hour.

Discover optimization potential – reporting and analysis of production data

With the web-based Prinect Portal, the jobs in progress on a connected die-cutter can be tracked on a smart device in real time while production is still underway. After the job is completed, the production data is available for reporting and an analysis of short-term and long-term trends is possible. “Efficient folding carton production is part of our core business – yesterday, today, and tomorrow,” confirms Jörg Dähnhardt. “We show that digitized processes now extend include postpress, and we will continue to develop this further.”

Folder gluers with new functions

Heidelberg offers now four series of the MK Masterwork Diana folder gluers. New features and options were added for each series.

The Diana Smart is now available with a high-speed package, allowing it to run up to 33 percent faster at up to 600 m/min.

The second generation of the Diana Braille unit now offers an option for cross adjustment of the braille tools. The positions of the upper and lower tools are shown on a digital indicator – this shortens each make-ready process by several minutes.

The new Diana Inspector can inspect a wide range of substrates, including difficult materials such as metalized cardboard, holograms, or hot foil applications for printing defects and color consistency. The Diana Inspector features a PDF comparison function, which increases user-friendliness and significantly reduces the setup time, as many settings can already be prepared in Prepress. The Diana Inspector is available for the Diana Smart and Diana Easy series.

A folder gluer can only run as fast as cartons can be packed. The digital integration of the new Diana Packer 4.0 helps during automated packing in outer cartons. For the first time, communication between the folder gluer and the Diana Packer 4.0 ensures that carton geometries only have to be entered once – the second entry on the packer previously required is no longer necessary. This shortens overall setup times. New options include an automated tie-sheet inserter and integration of a carton erector. Once a case is filled with cartons it has to be closed, labeled and palletized – all processes that can now be supplied from Heidelberg and MK Masterwork.

The successful partnership between Heidelberg and MK Masterwork offers a complete portfolio for folding carton production. Heidelberg has already sold more than 500 MK machines since the start of the partnership in 2016. The relationship was further strengthened in 2019, with MK Masterwork becoming a long-term, strategic anchor shareholder in Heidelberg with a shareholding of around 8.5 percent.

“The packaging market will continue to grow in importance for Heidelberg. Folding carton manufacturing requires peak performance of our machines and solutions. Thanks to digital integration, we unlock completely new optimization potential along the entire process chain – for the benefit of our folding carton customers worldwide,” sums up Jörg Dähnhardt.

Heidelberg boosts overall efficiency in packaging printing with digital integration and intelligent automation

Posted in: Packaging Technology 10/22/2020 - 12:36
    WIESLOCH, Germany, Oct. 22, 2020 (Press Release) -
  • Heidelberg strategically expands its overall portfolio for folding carton production together with its partner MK Masterwork
  • Digital integration automates folding carton production and simplifies even complex job changes
  • World premiere: Introducing the new Mastermatrix 106 CSB die cutter for industrial and high-volume converting
  • Fully integrated workflow: Expansion of the Prinect Business Manager Packaging MIS system announced for 2021

The trends in packaging printing are obvious: ever-declining run lengths, an ever increasing number of stock keeping units and more demanding embellishments are used in order to attract attention at the point of sale, and all of this against the backdrop of extremely short delivery times and sustainability. Special applications and the need for flawless production add to the complexity. How can folding carton manufacturers manage this in a cost-effective way? How can they fully exploit the potential of their machines and achieve transparent and repeatable production? Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) presented its innovations at an event in October of this year to answer these questions.

“The growth market of packaging and especially folding carton manufacturing are part of our core business. Our product portfolio is leading the industry, and we are introducing innovations to further enhance it based on our customers’ demands. The optimization of folding carton manufacturing for the benefit of our customers is an integral part of our company strategy,” confirms Jörg Dähnhardt, Head of the Folding Carton Segment at Heidelberg.

Heidelberg offers innovative and customized solutions for converting operations: from job creation all the way to the finished folding carton. The Prinect workflow connects the various machines and processes and allows navigated folding carton production, or, in the ideal case, even autonomous production. The tried and tested consumables from the Saphira family and digital services ensure a stable production environment and the highest possible machine availability.

Innovations for Speedmaster presses – increased productivity with automation and digitization

The new operating concept based around the Heidelberg User Experience UX makes packaging printing easier than ever, across all format classes. An example is the Speedmaster CX 102.

This press boasts innovative solutions from the Peak Performance class, including the new operating concept. The Speedmaster CX 102 from the new 2020 generation combines flexibility with navigated printing. It all starts with efficient production planning via the Prinect Scheduler: production is optimized for multiple print jobs with the same or similar spot colors, materials, or die-cutting tools, and placed in the Job Queue of the Speedmaster CX 102 fully automatically and in the correct order – without manual intervention. With over 50,000 printing units sold, the Speedmaster CD/CX presses are the most successful press series on the market and perfect for packaging printing.

The Wallscreen XL guides the operator through the individual processes. With Intellistart 3, up to 50 upcoming job changes can be prepared on the press while production is underway. Intelliguide navigates the operator through the complete job change and always selects the fastest makeready process. Intelliline visualizes the process phase at the individual printing and coating units and indicates when and where a manual intervention is required. Assistance systems like Color Assistant Pro and Wash Assistant use artificial intelligence for continuous improvement.

Good sheet production starts as quickly as possible thanks to precise ink presetting and an intelligent selection of the most suitable washup programs. This reduces paper waste and costs. Even repeat jobs can be set up quickly and reliably. With Intellirun, the relevant production information is shown at the right time fully automatically on the Wallscreen throughout the production run. Data feedback to the Prinect Production Workflow allows precise reporting for each individual job, including quality documentation.  

Autonomous printing with standardization – Anicolor and Multicolor as a package

The Speedmaster XL 75 Anicolor with Multicolor technology offers an interesting bundle for packaging printers tackling digital production run lengths. With Anicolor technology the good sheet is reached very quickly, thanks to fast inking by the format-size screen roller. The inking unit design ensures an even ink application across the entire sheet and the entire run. By using seven colors – the four process colors plus orange, green, and violet – the Multicolor technology can reproduce a very high number of spot colors. This cuts the time for job changes down since it is no longer necessary to change spot colors. Multicolor also opens the door for autonomous printing with Push to Stop in packaging printing as well. It is also an extremely economical way of producing short runs in packaging printing, for example for special editions.

New standards in industrial packaging printing

For highly industrialized folding carton printers Heidelberg expanded the capabilities end-to-end: Innovations for the Speedmaster XL 106, a new die-cutter and several innovations for the Diana folder gluers were demonstrated.

The Speedmaster XL106 of the 2020 generation redefines peak performance once again: It systematically reduces touch points and relieves the operator of routine tasks, thereby significantly increasing efficiency.

A good example of an intelligent assistance system is the Wash Assistant: It selects the most suitable wash-up program by taking into account the differences in brightness of consecutive inks in the same unit. Especially in folding carton production with its many spot colors, this reduces make-ready times significantly. The Wash Assistant also reduces consumption of wash-up solution; all in all, this can increase the production capacity of a press by up to 125 hours annually.

The new presetable CodeStar at the feeder ensures full traceability throughout the production. It marks each sheet with a unique number, barcode or batch number so it can be identified again at any time during production.

Another innovation is Hycolor Pro, the Speedmaster XL 106’s automated dampening system. The dampening solution is metered between pan roller and metering roller. The pressure/squeeze required for this purpose can now, for the first time, be controlled from the Prinect Press Center. The operator can now quickly confirm the correct settings in all units – that saves time and effort while also enabling targeted corrections during production: The printer can address dampening issues on either side of the sheet. This results in fewer waste sheets at start-up and a more stable production run.

Eye-catching wow effects for point of sale

Complex jobs for special effects often involve elaborate and time-consuming makeready processes that must be planned and carried out meticulously. To illustrate the capabilities of the new User Interface, a demanding job change was shown in less than 5 minutes on a Speedmaster XL 106-8+LYY-1+L (eight printing units, one coating unit, two dryer units, another printing unit, and a second coating unit) with FoilStar. Intellistart 3, Intelliguide, and Intelliline navigate the operator through the various makeready processes for complex jobs. Even less experienced operators are guided through elaborate make ready tasks: complexity is mastered and can be managed. This 13-unit press can produce a wide variety of embellishments, offering economical flexibility coupled with high process reliability and short makeready times. Automation features such as the Hycolor Multidrive intelligent inking unit drive allow the blankets and the inking units to be washed while the plates are being changed. If an inking unit is not required for the next job, the washup program can continue to run while the press resumes printing.

Eye-catching metallic effects can be achieved in one pass with the FoilStar cold foil module. The most economical way of applying cold foil is using indexing and multi-reel capability. Foil consumption can be reduced by up to 80 percent. The cold foil can be partially overprinted to produce a wide range of metallic and color effects. All in all, this is a more sustainable solution than foil-laminated cardboard, which also can have long lead times.

Depending on the desired effect, different inks, varnishes and coatings are required along with a press configuration that provides the flexibility for many applications. The 13-unit Speedmaster XL 106 serves as an example for a press that can produce stunning effects for high impact folding cartons at the point of sale economically in a single pass. Heidelberg installs 40 to 50 of these special presses with customized configurations per year.

Fully integrated workflow with new MIS concept for packaging printing

From summer 2021, Prinect Business Manager Packaging will be launched specifically for packaging printing. Together with the Prinect Production Manager and the tailored packaging add-ons, the result will be a fully integrated packaging workflow. Job data, presetting or repeat job data for the Speedmaster, and for example printing plate handling will be linked in an automated process, thereby reducing makeready and downtimes. The integration of postpress will also be possible.

World premiere: new Mastermatrix 106 CSB die cutter

The event attendees witnessed the world premiere of the new Mastermatrix 106 CSB: the new flagship die-cutter from MK Masterwork and Heidelberg with a production speed of up to 9,000 sheets per hour. The machine is designed for high speed and fast make-ready times. For example, a new quick-lock clamping system for the cutting plate shortens the setup time without affecting tool compatibility with existing plates. The setup time is further minimized by MasterRake: the non-stop swords in the delivery are locked pneumatically and can be disengaged at the push of a button and moved by the operator. This shortens the setup time at the delivery by up to 70 percent.

The Mastermatrix is integrated in the Prinect workflow. Job specific data is received at the die-cutter from Prinect. Data such as the sheet format is transferred and - after confirmation by the operator - the MasterFeeder sets itself automatically to the sheet format without further manual intervention.

During production, the MasterSet optical register system ensures perfect registration between the print image and cutting tool for each sheet individually with the utmost precision. The camdrive of the Mastermatrix ensures a smooth and quiet production.

Two other new die cutters were launched earlier this year to complete the portfolio – the Powermatrix 106 CSB and Promatrix 145 CSB.

For short runs in packaging and commercial printing the Digimatrix line will be added in future: the Digimatrix 80 LR and the Digimatrix 106 LR. These digital die-cutters are integrated in the Prinect workflow and employ laser cutting technology; they are currently scheduled for launch in 2021. Both machines provide the option of an inline rotary creasing station and achieve speeds of up to 3,000 sheets per hour.

Discover optimization potential – reporting and analysis of production data

With the web-based Prinect Portal, the jobs in progress on a connected die-cutter can be tracked on a smart device in real time while production is still underway. After the job is completed, the production data is available for reporting and an analysis of short-term and long-term trends is possible. “Efficient folding carton production is part of our core business – yesterday, today, and tomorrow,” confirms Jörg Dähnhardt. “We show that digitized processes now extend include postpress, and we will continue to develop this further.”

Folder gluers with new functions

Heidelberg offers now four series of the MK Masterwork Diana folder gluers. New features and options were added for each series.

The Diana Smart is now available with a high-speed package, allowing it to run up to 33 percent faster at up to 600 m/min.

The second generation of the Diana Braille unit now offers an option for cross adjustment of the braille tools. The positions of the upper and lower tools are shown on a digital indicator – this shortens each make-ready process by several minutes.

The new Diana Inspector can inspect a wide range of substrates, including difficult materials such as metalized cardboard, holograms, or hot foil applications for printing defects and color consistency. The Diana Inspector features a PDF comparison function, which increases user-friendliness and significantly reduces the setup time, as many settings can already be prepared in Prepress. The Diana Inspector is available for the Diana Smart and Diana Easy series.

A folder gluer can only run as fast as cartons can be packed. The digital integration of the new Diana Packer 4.0 helps during automated packing in outer cartons. For the first time, communication between the folder gluer and the Diana Packer 4.0 ensures that carton geometries only have to be entered once – the second entry on the packer previously required is no longer necessary. This shortens overall setup times. New options include an automated tie-sheet inserter and integration of a carton erector. Once a case is filled with cartons it has to be closed, labeled and palletized – all processes that can now be supplied from Heidelberg and MK Masterwork.

The successful partnership between Heidelberg and MK Masterwork offers a complete portfolio for folding carton production. Heidelberg has already sold more than 500 MK machines since the start of the partnership in 2016. The relationship was further strengthened in 2019, with MK Masterwork becoming a long-term, strategic anchor shareholder in Heidelberg with a shareholding of around 8.5 percent.

“The packaging market will continue to grow in importance for Heidelberg. Folding carton manufacturing requires peak performance of our machines and solutions. Thanks to digital integration, we unlock completely new optimization potential along the entire process chain – for the benefit of our folding carton customers worldwide,” sums up Jörg Dähnhardt.

Read more
    WIESLOCH, Germany, Oct. 21, 2020 (Press Release) -
  • Push to Stop – navigated, automated production chain thanks to intelligent networking and digitized processes
  • World premiere – new Push to Stop CutStar enables up to 30 percent higher production speed with thin materials
  • Metallic effects produced by FoilStar Cure stand out at point of sale and make surface finishing sustainable
  • New Speedmaster XL 106-D helps customers move into rotary die cutting

Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) is continuing to systematically focus on its core business. In the growing labels sector, it will be concentrating on end-to-end digitized solutions in sheetfed offset printing. Speedmaster sheetfed offset presses, the XL 106-DD rotary die cutter, and the label systems of Heidelberg partner Polar are perfect for making wet-glue labels, cut-and-stack labels, and also in-mold labels (IMLs). Heidelberg is now using an innovation initiative to step up its activities in this segment and is also further expanding its position on the growing labels market.

Like all print shops, label printers are faced with the challenge of completing increasingly complex orders in less time. Shorter runs, faster delivery times, ever more specific customer requirements, and sustainability demands all call for highly flexible production based on efficient workflows. The Push to Stop concept from Heidelberg for navigated, automated end-to-end production of print jobs in conjunction with the Prinect workflow is therefore also proving popular in the labels sector. Heidelberg will be providing a virtual demonstration of one such solution as part of its Innovation Week under the banner “Unfold your potential” in mid-October. Anyone interested can access this event simply by providing brief registration details. The company will be showcasing a highly flexible production operation with the smartest Speedmaster XL 106 ever, including the special equipment packages for label printing, that is to say the lightweight paper, foil, and in-mold performance packages.

“With its digitized sheetfed offset printing solutions, Heidelberg will continue to play a leading role on the growing labels market in the future. We remain a reliable partner and supplier for our customers in this segment, working with them to overcome the challenges of this demanding market,” says Markus Höfer, Head of Product Management Label at Heidelberg.

World premiere – new Push to Stop CutStar for growth market of in-mold labels

“Customers’ growing demands in terms of print speed, stable sheet travel, level of automation, and ease of handling when processing thinner substrates on the CutStar sheeter prompted us to develop a new generation of this system. The result is the new Push to Stop CutStar, which is based on a completely new platform with the latest drive technology, state-of-the-art control technology, a new blade geometry, and brand new peripherals,” reveals Höfer.

The market for in-mold labels is enjoying annual growth rates of around four to six percent, and handling particularly thin materials is the key challenge during production. The IML Performance Package for the Speedmaster 106 is now also used in the new CutStar Gen. 4 for high-quality results on foils as thin as 50 µ, combined with an impressive production output. The fourth-generation sheeter is fully integrated into the Prinect workflow and also the Intellistart system on the press for production based on the Push to Stop principle. Air/format settings and format changes take place fully automatically, which means shorter setup times. The surface treatment integrated into the CutStar is another new feature, ensuring high end-to-end quality by improving ink adhesion. What’s more, optimization geared specifically to low grammages for both paper and IMLs increases the production speed by up to 2,000 sheets per hour.

FoilStar Cure for surface finishing with a metallic look

Surface finishes with a metallic look are very much on trend and make products stand out at the point of sale, where customers often make purchase decisions in a fraction of a second. With the new FoilStar Cure, label producers can meet even challenging finishing requirements. In conjunction with another Heidelberg innovation – the DryStar LED Pro dryer – impressive high-gloss metallic effects can reliably be produced. In the FoilStar Cure, drying for the first time takes place right through the foil, which enhances gloss levels. Cold foil is the perfect solution for a wide range of effects, combining an attractive price with an impressive processing speed. It also has environmental benefits over aluminum-coated material because it saves on aluminum and makes labels easier to recycle. Thanks to customized indexing lengths during production, and because only the specified parts of the label are foiled, up to 80 percent less material is used.

New Speedmaster XL 106-D with just one die-cutting unit makes it easier to move into rotary die cutting

The installation of over 60 Speedmaster XL 106-DD rotary die cutters provides impressive proof of the market success Heidelberg has been enjoying with this machine since 2008. It is available in various configurations – from the new Speedmaster XL 106-D with just one die-cutting unit, which is now available, to the XL 106-DD with magnetic cylinder and extraction system for injection and decorative holes.

“The new Speedmaster XL 106-D with just one die-cutting unit makes it easier for label printers to move into rotary die cutting and complements the successful Speedmaster XL 106-DD with magnetic cylinder and extraction system, which has been available for a number of years,” says Höfer

The XL 106-D and DD process the thinnest of materials at a high speed of 12,000 sheets per hour. They punch even the smallest injection holes, which are stripped and extracted straight away thanks to the high-precision magnetic cylinder with 1 µ pressure adjustment. This high precision resulting from the cylinder design and uniform cutting die dispenses with the time-consuming makeready required when using the flat-bed process due to differences in level within the cutting die. This means far shorter setup times. Tooling costs are also up to 50 percent lower than with a flat-bed die cutter and the production speed is three times higher.

Service agreements with digital maintenance management ensure measurably higher availability

Service agreements complementing Heidelberg equipment and software are also available for the labels sector, which ensures continuously high availability of all systems. Digital maintenance management and performance analyses increase uptime by as much as seven percent. Like all other Heidelberg customers, label producers benefit from the industry’s largest service network, with global availability of spare parts and access to the Heidelberg Assistant digital collaboration platform.

Even following the announcement of the sale of the Gallus Group to Swiss packaging group benpac holding ag, Heidelberg will work closely with benpac in the future, providing service and sales support for narrow-web flexographic presses. In the case of the Gallus Labelfire, Heidelberg also still supplies both the digital printing unit and the associated consumables, which means the company will continue to offer its customers an attractive solution for digital label printing.

Heidelberg innovation initiative to strengthen position on label printing market

Posted in: Mills 10/21/2020 - 08:53
    WIESLOCH, Germany, Oct. 21, 2020 (Press Release) -
  • Push to Stop – navigated, automated production chain thanks to intelligent networking and digitized processes
  • World premiere – new Push to Stop CutStar enables up to 30 percent higher production speed with thin materials
  • Metallic effects produced by FoilStar Cure stand out at point of sale and make surface finishing sustainable
  • New Speedmaster XL 106-D helps customers move into rotary die cutting

Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) is continuing to systematically focus on its core business. In the growing labels sector, it will be concentrating on end-to-end digitized solutions in sheetfed offset printing. Speedmaster sheetfed offset presses, the XL 106-DD rotary die cutter, and the label systems of Heidelberg partner Polar are perfect for making wet-glue labels, cut-and-stack labels, and also in-mold labels (IMLs). Heidelberg is now using an innovation initiative to step up its activities in this segment and is also further expanding its position on the growing labels market.

Like all print shops, label printers are faced with the challenge of completing increasingly complex orders in less time. Shorter runs, faster delivery times, ever more specific customer requirements, and sustainability demands all call for highly flexible production based on efficient workflows. The Push to Stop concept from Heidelberg for navigated, automated end-to-end production of print jobs in conjunction with the Prinect workflow is therefore also proving popular in the labels sector. Heidelberg will be providing a virtual demonstration of one such solution as part of its Innovation Week under the banner “Unfold your potential” in mid-October. Anyone interested can access this event simply by providing brief registration details. The company will be showcasing a highly flexible production operation with the smartest Speedmaster XL 106 ever, including the special equipment packages for label printing, that is to say the lightweight paper, foil, and in-mold performance packages.

“With its digitized sheetfed offset printing solutions, Heidelberg will continue to play a leading role on the growing labels market in the future. We remain a reliable partner and supplier for our customers in this segment, working with them to overcome the challenges of this demanding market,” says Markus Höfer, Head of Product Management Label at Heidelberg.

World premiere – new Push to Stop CutStar for growth market of in-mold labels

“Customers’ growing demands in terms of print speed, stable sheet travel, level of automation, and ease of handling when processing thinner substrates on the CutStar sheeter prompted us to develop a new generation of this system. The result is the new Push to Stop CutStar, which is based on a completely new platform with the latest drive technology, state-of-the-art control technology, a new blade geometry, and brand new peripherals,” reveals Höfer.

The market for in-mold labels is enjoying annual growth rates of around four to six percent, and handling particularly thin materials is the key challenge during production. The IML Performance Package for the Speedmaster 106 is now also used in the new CutStar Gen. 4 for high-quality results on foils as thin as 50 µ, combined with an impressive production output. The fourth-generation sheeter is fully integrated into the Prinect workflow and also the Intellistart system on the press for production based on the Push to Stop principle. Air/format settings and format changes take place fully automatically, which means shorter setup times. The surface treatment integrated into the CutStar is another new feature, ensuring high end-to-end quality by improving ink adhesion. What’s more, optimization geared specifically to low grammages for both paper and IMLs increases the production speed by up to 2,000 sheets per hour.

FoilStar Cure for surface finishing with a metallic look

Surface finishes with a metallic look are very much on trend and make products stand out at the point of sale, where customers often make purchase decisions in a fraction of a second. With the new FoilStar Cure, label producers can meet even challenging finishing requirements. In conjunction with another Heidelberg innovation – the DryStar LED Pro dryer – impressive high-gloss metallic effects can reliably be produced. In the FoilStar Cure, drying for the first time takes place right through the foil, which enhances gloss levels. Cold foil is the perfect solution for a wide range of effects, combining an attractive price with an impressive processing speed. It also has environmental benefits over aluminum-coated material because it saves on aluminum and makes labels easier to recycle. Thanks to customized indexing lengths during production, and because only the specified parts of the label are foiled, up to 80 percent less material is used.

New Speedmaster XL 106-D with just one die-cutting unit makes it easier to move into rotary die cutting

The installation of over 60 Speedmaster XL 106-DD rotary die cutters provides impressive proof of the market success Heidelberg has been enjoying with this machine since 2008. It is available in various configurations – from the new Speedmaster XL 106-D with just one die-cutting unit, which is now available, to the XL 106-DD with magnetic cylinder and extraction system for injection and decorative holes.

“The new Speedmaster XL 106-D with just one die-cutting unit makes it easier for label printers to move into rotary die cutting and complements the successful Speedmaster XL 106-DD with magnetic cylinder and extraction system, which has been available for a number of years,” says Höfer

The XL 106-D and DD process the thinnest of materials at a high speed of 12,000 sheets per hour. They punch even the smallest injection holes, which are stripped and extracted straight away thanks to the high-precision magnetic cylinder with 1 µ pressure adjustment. This high precision resulting from the cylinder design and uniform cutting die dispenses with the time-consuming makeready required when using the flat-bed process due to differences in level within the cutting die. This means far shorter setup times. Tooling costs are also up to 50 percent lower than with a flat-bed die cutter and the production speed is three times higher.

Service agreements with digital maintenance management ensure measurably higher availability

Service agreements complementing Heidelberg equipment and software are also available for the labels sector, which ensures continuously high availability of all systems. Digital maintenance management and performance analyses increase uptime by as much as seven percent. Like all other Heidelberg customers, label producers benefit from the industry’s largest service network, with global availability of spare parts and access to the Heidelberg Assistant digital collaboration platform.

Even following the announcement of the sale of the Gallus Group to Swiss packaging group benpac holding ag, Heidelberg will work closely with benpac in the future, providing service and sales support for narrow-web flexographic presses. In the case of the Gallus Labelfire, Heidelberg also still supplies both the digital printing unit and the associated consumables, which means the company will continue to offer its customers an attractive solution for digital label printing.

Read more

Pages

Copyright © 2020 RISI. All rights reserved.